Pineapple pump

ABSTRACT

A pineapple pump is provided. The pineapple pump includes a rotor chamber and a rotor. The rotor chamber may include a plurality of cooling columns for thermal management. The rotor is rotatably disposed in the rotor chamber and the cooling columns are located at a fluid outlet of the rotor. The rotor has a rotary shaft to deliver a tangential torque. When the rotor rotates with the rotary shaft to guide a fluid, the fluid has a radial displacement perpendicular to the tangential torque of the rotor, thereby de-coupling the tangential torque and a pressure gradient of the fluid caused by the rotor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/637,926, filed on Apr. 25, 2012. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a pineapple pump and particularly relates to a pineapple pump that has a structure different from a conventional structure.

2. Description of Related Art

A pump is a device used for drawing a fluid or creating a vacuum. Generally speaking, the pump is driven by an external force to compress or decompress the fluid so as to draw the fluid. The conventional fluid pumps are categorized into two types: piston type and rotary type. The piston type pump can achieve high pressure of the fluid while the rotary type pump can achieve high flow rate of the fluid.

However, when the pump is operated, a working surface of the pump and a pressure gradient of the fluid are directly related to each other. That is, the working surface and the pressure gradient of the fluid are coupled to each other and affect each other. Therefore, with limited functional capacity, the pump cannot discharge the fluid at a high flow rate when the external pressure is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a pineapple pump having a structure different from the conventional structure.

The invention provides a pineapple pump, including a rotor chamber and a rotor. The rotor chamber includes a plurality of cooling columns therein. The rotor is rotatably disposed in the rotor chamber. The rotor has a rotary shaft. The rotor rotates with the rotary shaft to guide a fluid, such that the fluid has a radial displacement perpendicular to a tangential torque of the rotor like a centrifuge plus channels for continuous flow.

In an embodiment of the invention, the rotor includes a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a side surface. The side surface is connected between the first surface and the second surface. An area of the first surface is smaller than an area of the second surface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first surface and the second surface are parallel to a radial direction of the rotor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the rotor chamber has a recess. The first surface of the rotor faces the recess. A plurality of first slots are formed around the recess, and the side surface of the rotor has a plurality of second slots formed thereon.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pineapple pump further includes a cooling fin disposed outside the rotor chamber and connected with the cooling columns.

In an embodiment of the invention, a material of the cooling fin includes copper and alloy of copper/graphite.

In an embodiment of the invention, a material of the cooling columns includes copper and alloy of copper/graphite.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pineapple pump further includes an inlet port and an outlet port. The inlet port is connected with the rotor chamber. The rotor rotates with the rotary shaft, such that the fluid is drawn into the rotor chamber via the inlet port. The outlet port is connected with the rotor chamber and communicates with the inlet port. When the fluid moves in the radial direction of the rotor, the fluid flows out via the outlet port.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pineapple pump further includes an opening and a power device. The opening is connected with the rotor chamber. The power device is connected with the rotor through the opening, so as to move the fluid in the radial direction of the rotor.

Based on the above, in the pineapple pump of the invention, the radial displacement of the fluid is perpendicular to the tangential torque of the rotor like a centrifuge. That is, a pressure gradient of the fluid generated by the rotation of the rotor is perpendicular to a normal working surface of the rotor. In other words, the pressure gradient and the normal working surface are de-coupled, such that the tangential torque is not affected by the pressure gradient, and suffer no feedback torque from the said pressure gradient.

To make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pineapple pump according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a movement of a rotor of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the rotor and a rotor chamber of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

When reading the specification, persons skilled in the art should know that descriptions, such as up, down, left, right, front, back, first, second, etc., in this specification refer to the directions with respect to the figures and should not be construed as limitations to the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pineapple pump according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a movement of a rotor of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a pineapple pump 100 of this embodiment includes a rotor chamber 110, a rotor 120, an inlet port 130, an outlet port 140, an opening 150, and a power device 160. The rotor 120 is rotatably disposed in the rotor chamber 110. The inlet port 130 is connected with the rotor chamber 110. The outlet port 140 is connected with the rotor chamber 110 and communicates with the inlet port 130. The opening 150 is connected with the rotor chamber 110. The power device 160 of this embodiment is connected with the rotor 120 through the opening 150, so as to move a fluid F in a radial direction R of the rotor 120 and drive the rotor 120 to move in a normal direction N of the rotor 120.

More specifically, the rotor 120 has a rotary shaft 122. When the rotor 120 moves in the normal direction N of the rotor 120, the rotor 120 rotates with the rotary shaft 122, so as to guide the fluid F to be drawn into the rotor chamber 110 via the inlet port 130. In this embodiment, the fluid F is a coal gas or an air current, for example. Next, when the fluid F moves in the radial direction R of the rotor 120, the fluid F is guided by the rotation of the rotor 120, such that the fluid F has a radial displacement D in the radial direction R. Accordingly, the fluid F flows out via the outlet port 140. It is noted that a displacement of the fluid F includes a radial outer displacement and a radial displacement D in the normal direction N, wherein the radial displacement D is perpendicular to the radial direction R of the rotor 120.

According to this configuration, as the rotor 120 is driven to rotate and move in the rotor chamber 110, a pressure gradient of the fluid F generated by the rotation of the rotor 120 is perpendicular to a working surface of the rotor 120 (referring to the radial direction R of the rotor 120) under a centrifugal force applied by the rotation of the rotor 120. In other words, the pressure gradient and the working surface are de-coupled, which causes no counteraction to a torque. Therefore, in the pineapple pump 100 of this embodiment, the pressure gradient generated by the rotation of the rotor 120 and the working surface of the rotor 120 do not have a torque relationship. Besides, in comparison with the conventional turbo molecular pump, the pineapple pump of this embodiment does not require additional components to assist the formation of a vacuum, and thus the costs are reduced. It is noted that, when the pineapple pump 100 forms the vacuum, the rotor chamber 110 does not generate high pressure or high temperature therein, and therefore, the pineapple pump 100 does not require a heat dissipation device or other elements suitable for heat dissipation.

As a numerical example of the pumping function, let P_(in) as the inlet pressure, P_(out) as the output pressure, γ the ratio of specific heats (γ=7/5 for diatonic molecules, and γ=4/3 for 3D molecules), for adiabatic pumping,

ln (P _(out) /P _(in))=6.36×10⁻¹⁰ ù ² (r ₀ ² −r ₁ ²)

With r₀ the rotor's output radial dimension and r₁ the inlet radial dimension, ù the angular velocity, all in cgs dimensions and r₁≈0. By limiting the tangential speed r₀ù to approximately 700 m/s for the turbo molecular speed,

$\begin{matrix} {{P_{out}/P_{in}} \approx {100\mspace{14mu} {for}\mspace{14mu} {diatomic}\mspace{14mu} {molecules}\mspace{14mu} {such}\mspace{14mu} {as}\mspace{14mu} O_{2}\mspace{14mu} {and}\mspace{14mu} N_{2}}} \\ {\approx {300\mspace{14mu} {for}\mspace{14mu} 3D\mspace{14mu} {molecules}\mspace{14mu} {such}\mspace{14mu} {as}\mspace{14mu} {CH}_{4}}} \end{matrix}$

For compressing the CH₄ gas, a single pumping stage could reach 300 bar from the inlet of one bar, while to couple with the blades of turbo molecular pump for vacuuming, a two-stage of the torque de-coupled rotor structure connected in series with each providing a pressure ratio of 100, may be necessary.

In addition, the rotor chamber 110 of this embodiment includes a plurality of cooling columns 114 therein, which are disposed above the rotor 120 for heat dissipation. When the fluid F is rotated and compressed by the rotor 120, a temperature of the fluid F increases. The cooling columns 114 are used for cooling the fluid F with increasing temperature. In this embodiment, a material of the cooling columns 114 includes copper, alloy of copper/graphite, etc., which has the property of heat dissipation. The pineapple pump 100 further includes a cooling fin 170. The cooling fin 170 is disposed outside the rotor chamber 110 and connected with the cooling columns 114 for heat transmission and dissipation. The heat generated when the rotor 120 is operating may also be dissipated outside the pineapple pump 100 by convection. In this embodiment, a material of the cooling fin 170 includes copper, alloy of copper/graphite, etc., which has the property of heat dissipation. Therefore, the heat of the fluid F rotated and compressed by the rotor 120 is not only dissipated by the cooling columns 114 in the rotor chamber 110 but also dissipated by the cooling fin 170, so as to achieve good heat dissipation efficiency. It is noted that, when the pineapple pump 100 forms the vacuum, the rotor chamber 110 does not generate high pressure or high temperature therein, and therefore, the pineapple pump 100 does not require a heat dissipation device or other elements suitable for heat dissipation.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the rotor and the rotor chamber of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 depicts only a part of the rotor chamber for illustrative purpose. Referring to FIG. 3, the rotor 120 of this embodiment is approximately column-shaped. The rotor 120 includes a first surface 124, a second surface 126 opposite to the first surface 124, and a side surface 128. The side surface 128 is connected between the first surface 124 and the second surface 126.

More specifically, the first surface 124 and the second surface 126 of the rotor 120 are respectively parallel to the radial direction R of the rotor 120. It is noted that a diameter D1 of the first surface 124 is less than a diameter D2 of the second surface 126. In other words, an area of the first surface 124 is smaller than an area of the second surface 126. Therefore, the side surface 128 of the rotor 120 inclines with respect to the first surface 124 and the second surface 126.

Moreover, the rotor chamber 110 includes a recess 112. The first surface 124 of the rotor 120 faces the recess 112. A plurality of first slots 112 a are formed around the recess 112, and the side surface 128 of the rotor 120 has a plurality of second slots 128 a formed thereon. The design of the first slots 112 a and the second slots 128 a prevents a back-flow of the fluid F and avoids the fluid F from flowing out of the opening 150.

To conclude the above, in the pineapple pump of the invention, the radial displacement of the fluid is perpendicular to the tangential torque of the rotor. As the rotor is driven to rotate and move in the rotor chamber, the pressure gradient of the fluid between the inlet and outlet ports generated by the rotation of the rotor is perpendicular to the working surface of the rotor under the centrifugal force applied by the rotation of the rotor. That is, the pressure gradient and the working surface are de-coupled, and thus the rotation of the rotor is not affected by the pressure gradient. Therefore, the pineapple pump of this embodiment is different from the conventional pineapple pump in structure. The pressure gradient caused by the rotation of the rotor and the working surface of the rotor do not have a torque relationship. Accordingly, the pressure and the flow rate of the pineapple pump are maximized.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention covers modifications and variations of this disclosure provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pineapple pump, comprising: a rotor chamber comprising a plurality of cooling columns therein; and a rotor rotatably disposed in the rotor chamber and comprising a rotary shaft, wherein the cooling columns are located above the rotor, and when a fluid moves in a radial direction of the rotor, the fluid is guided by a rotation of the rotor, such that the fluid has a radial displacement perpendicular to a tangential torque of the rotor.
 2. The pineapple pump according to claim 1, wherein the rotor comprises a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a side surface, wherein the side surface is connected between the first surface and the second surface, and an area of the first surface is smaller than an area of the second surface.
 3. The pineapple pump according to claim 2, wherein the first surface and the second surface are parallel to a radial direction of the rotor.
 4. The pineapple pump according to claim 2, wherein the rotor chamber comprises a recess around which a plurality of first slots are formed, the first surface of the rotor faces the recess, and the side surface of the rotor comprises a plurality of second slots formed thereon.
 5. The pineapple pump according to claim 1, further comprising: a cooling fin disposed outside the rotor chamber and connected with the cooling columns.
 6. The pineapple pump according to claim 5, wherein a material of the cooling fin comprises copper or alloy of copper/graphite.
 7. The pineapple pump according to claim 1, wherein a material of the cooling columns comprises copper or alloy of copper/graphite.
 8. The pineapple pump according to claim 1, further comprising: an inlet port connected with the rotor chamber, wherein the rotor rotates with the rotary shaft, such that the fluid is drawn into the rotor chamber via the inlet port; and an outlet port connected with the rotor chamber and communicating with the inlet port, wherein the fluid flows out via the outlet port when the fluid moves in the radial direction of the rotor.
 9. The pineapple pump according to claim 1, further comprising: an opening connected with the rotor chamber; and a power device connected with the rotor through the opening to move the fluid in the radial direction of the rotor.
 10. The pineapple pump according to claim 5, wherein a torque de-coupled pumping structure is simplified to complement the vacuuming activities of the exhaust function of a turbo molecular pump whereby rotor blades of the turbo are axially connected to the rotors of the pineapple pump.
 11. The pineapple pump according to claim 10, wherein the torque de-coupled pumping structure could be serially connected to have multiple stages in tandem, similar to the multi-stage structure of the turbo molecular pumping structure with multiple stages in tandem.
 12. The pineapple pump according to claim 11, wherein the tangential rotor speed spins at a linear velocity beyond the sonic molecular velocity of approximately 350 meters per second.
 13. The pineapple pump according to claim 12, wherein the torque de-coupled station discharges the exhaust fluid directly to the ambient without engaging the backing of roughing piston pump or scroll pump. 